


lilac sky is dripping blue

by youngjaewrlds



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: (pls be nice to me), A Whole Mess, Alternate Universe - College/University, I Tried, I can't write summaries, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Some Cursing, blue hair dye, disgusting fluff, homophobia (kinda?), red hair dye, the members are mentionned, violence for like 5 seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:21:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngjaewrlds/pseuds/youngjaewrlds
Summary: Blue as the night sky, red as a burning fire; when the two collide, they create their own unique shade of purple. Only, they hate to see it.
Relationships: Kim Sunwoo/Son Youngjae | Eric
Comments: 4
Kudos: 98





	1. part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I wrote this because I really miss Eric's giddy up era hair. If you can't tell from this story, I'm actually a sucker for juric, so I have no idea why I wrote a sunric. This was supposed to be a one part thing, but I got carried away and made it into two parts. 
> 
> (I got inspired while listening to the song "Colors" by Halsey.)
> 
> Thank you for giving this story a chance, enjoy!

Eric couldn’t believe he had finally managed to convince his best friend to help him. He’d been pestering the other boy for months, but nothing had worked out: his pleas, his deal offers, nothing could convince Sunwoo, his stubborn childhood best friend, to come over to his house and help him dye his hair blue. Eric had grown tired of his blonde hair _years_ ago, he desperately felt like he needed the change in his appearance. Maybe it was the rebellious teenager blood boiling in his veins at the thought of going against his parents’ will, or maybe it was the need of a fresh start, something to make him stand out at his school where everyone treated him like a nobody. He did have a couple of close friends he could have asked instead, but there was no one in this world he trusted most with his precious hair than his best friend, with who he did everything: the two boys were inseparable, and had been ever since they’d first met at kindergarten.

As Eric spied on Sunwoo’s reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but admire the way his slightly older friend’s hands worked in his hair. His movements looked natural, like an exercise he’d repeated a thousand times. His mouth was sealed shut, his eyes narrowed and never leaving the strands of hair that he was holding delicately. He looked calm, in control of his movements – Eric thought he looked beautiful. The illusion shattered when Sunwoo broke out of his focused state, meeting Eric’s gaze in the mirror with an embarrassed smile. Eric felt the older’s fingers let go of his hair.

“I made a hole in the gloves.” Sunwoo announced, looking mortified.

Eric chuckled, forgetting about Sunwoo’s hands hovering over his head and abruptly turning around on his stool. Sunwoo stumbled with the small brush, almost dropping it on the bathroom floor. Eric laughed at Sunwoo’s panicked expression. He grabbed his friend’s hands, the brush hitting the floor a few seconds later with a small thud. Eric fumbled with Sunwoo’s hands in his, looking around for the broken part of the gloves. Sunwoo let out a yell in protest as he noticed the blue dye getting all over Eric’s hands, not to mention the splashes that had painted the tiled floor from the fall of the brush. Eric finally noticed a long slice in the glove on the back of Sunwoo’s right hand, and a smaller tear between the fingers of his left hand. He pushed Sunwoo’s hands back to the boy, laughing ever more.

“How did you manage to do that? It’s like you fought a wolf or something.” Eric mocked.

Sunwoo exhaled loudly to show his annoyance, but a small smile broke through his stern-looking face. “I wouldn’t laugh so much if I were you, your hands are gonna be stained for days because of what you did”-

Eric suddenly pressed a blue painted finger on the tip of Sunwoo’s nose. The elder, startled, left his mouth hanging open mid-sentence. Eric’s giggle fit broke him out of his shocked state and the older leaned forward, catching his reflection in the mirror. A small blue dot had appeared on his nose, and Sunwoo laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe you”, he groaned, Eric’s high-pitched laugh still echoing through his mind.

The younger brought himself to sit on the edge of his stool, looking up at Sunwoo with a childish expression. He lowered his gaze at his own white shirt – Sunwoo had warned him about wearing white clothes while dying his hair – and grabbed Sunwoo’s hands again, smearing them over his own covered body. “Now we’re even”, he grinned.

Eric could have sworn he’d seen Sunwoo’s cheeks take a pinkish shade, but the boy quickly gripped him by the shoulders and spun him around in his seat. He picked up the brush from the floor and met Eric’s eyes in the mirror. “Please let me finish so I can get out of here before your parents see the mess you made”, he grumbled, returning back to holding a strand of Eric’s hair in his right hand.

Eric huffed in fake annoyance and tried his best to stay as still as possible. Just like that, Sunwoo’s focused expression was back, and the duo fell into comfortable chatter. The process was finished in under an hour and, despite some half-hearted protests, Sunwoo helped Eric clean up the small bathroom until there was no trace of the blue dye left. Well, except in Eric’s hair. And on his shirt. And on both of their hands. Sunwoo worked for a good ten minutes over the sink, scrubbing his nose with soap and water, until the skin was so red from irritation that the blue seemed to have disappeared. Sunwoo had smacked at Eric’s arm when the younger had teasingly started humming the “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer” song.

Eric’s hair was now a dark shade of blue, but the color was meant to lighten after the first wash. Eric couldn’t wait to hop into the shower and finally see the final result, but he was very satisfied as he thought the navy blue looked really good already. Sunwoo bid his friend goodbye after they’d thrown out the trash and simply walked back home.

The following Monday, Eric was, for once, really excited to get to school. He had tried to keep his new color a secret from his group of friends, and had succeeded for the most part. Only Juyeon and Jacob, with whom he’d gone to play basketball on Sunday, were already aware of his hairstyle change. And they loved it. It was fair to say that Eric had really high expectations for his grand entrance in the school. He couldn’t help himself and had texted the group chat that he had a “surprise” for them, trying to make it sound as mysterious as possible. The others had shown great amount of interest, encouraging the excitement to take over Eric’s head.

What Eric totally didn’t expect was for someone else to steal the show right from him. As soon as he’d reached school, a little bit before 8, he’d ran to his friends’ hanging spot in the cafeteria. Before he had pushed past the large doors, he’d braced himself, straightening his back and putting his confident face on. He counted from afar to make sure that every single one of his friends were there, and they were. With a satisfied smile, Eric got closer, but his face fell when he noticed the boys already being gathered together and shouting excitedly. He caught a glimpse of a bright red color, definitely someone’s dyed hair, at the center of the small crowd and his jaw dropped. What kind of back luck was it that someone else from his friend group had dyed their hair on the exact same weekend as him?

Disappointment evident on his face, Eric joined his friends by taking a seat next to Juyeon. The older gave him a warm smile, running a hand through the striking blue hair.

“I can’t believe you both dyed your hair together and you didn’t even tell me” Juyeon faked being offended, but the sparkle in his eyes assured Eric that the older was totally bluffing. Eric gave him a half-hearted smile in return, not really getting what the older meant by his words, but it was Juyeon speaking, it could only mean good things.

The rest of the group finally seemed to notice his arrival when shocked gasps were heard and everyone started to crowd around him, some hands reaching to his hair as if to confirm it was real.

“No way!” he heard his friend Kevin exclaim in utter shock.

Eric’s heart suddenly felt lighter as his friends showered him with compliments. He couldn’t stop the smile from forming on his face, but reality hit him like a bucket of iced water when he heard Jaehyun speak in amazement. “Did you two plan this?” he asked, his gaze going to Eric and back to the other person Eric had already forgotten about. The younger finally looked up, peering right through the crowd that was circling him to follow the direction of Jaehyun’s gaze.

From the other side of the table, Sunwoo was looking at him sheepishly. His fiery raid hair was almost blinding, but the way his bangs hung low on his forehead and the way his black roots somehow mixed with the red dye, Eric thought he looked majestic. Had it been anyone else, Eric probably would have thrown a fit, asking why the other thought it was okay to just dye their hair when he definitely had thought of doing it first, but he did none of that. Instead, he just stared right at his best friend, speechless and overwhelmed by a warm feeling creeping up inside of him and slowly filling his heart. Eric could feel his cheeks heat up, and Sunwoo quickly looked away, shaking his head as if to fix his hair.

Eric didn’t have many opportunities to talk to Sunwoo for the rest of the day. They didn’t share any classes, and his lunch period was spent playing outside with a few of his friends, Sunwoo opting out and staying inside with the rest of their group. Their paths inevitably crossed at the end of the day, when they would both hang out before each going home. It was a thing of theirs to stop by one of the fast food restaurants near the school and simply get milkshakes, or coffee and hot chocolates on rainy days, just as an excuse to hang out together before they had to come home and tackle the pile of homework that had been given to them.

Eric jogged up to his best friend who was waiting for him at the bottom of the concrete stairs in front of the school. The younger put his skateboard down in front of Sunwoo and quickly fixed the straps of his backpack around his shoulders. As he stepped on the board, the two boys were now of equal height. Eric couldn’t help but stare at the red hair and wonder how the color could compliment Sunwoo’s face so well. “It looks good.” Eric grinned, promptly throwing a hand at the other’s hair and ruffling it, making the red and the black blend together in the most pleasing way.

Sunwoo froze at the other’s words, not even reacting as his somewhat styled hair was being completely ruined. He didn’t move for more seconds that was socially considered normal, and Eric frowned, waving a hand in front of his face.

“Did you see a ghost or what?” the younger nagged. “It was just a compliment, Sun”, he lightly shoved the older in the shoulder with a laugh. But the nickname, usually so natural between them, only made Sunwoo scowl unconsciously. “Should we go for milkshakes?” he asked, his voice sounding hesitating.

The mention of food completely made Eric miss Sunwoo’s slip in behaviour. The younger crouched down to give himself a push, and his skateboard started to roll forward, slow enough to match Sunwoo’s walking pace. The older shoved his hands in his pockets and caught up to Eric, and the two made their way to their favourite milkshake spot.

Strawberry and chocolate, Eric and Sunwoo’s favourite milkshake flavours. They rarely ordered anything else, but why switch things up when the usual still worked perfectly fine? With their medium sized milkshakes in hand, the two comfortably walked – or rolled – to the nearest public park, where they sat down in the middle-length green grass. Sunwoo used his backpack as a backrest, leaning onto it as he sipped his chocolate drink. The sun shone directly on his tanned skin, giving the boy a dazzling glow. His black t-shirt was tucked into his knee-ripped jeans, synching his waist and boy, Eric thought he was gorgeous. The hair could only contribute to the look, and Eric thought he could stare at him all day. But Sunwoo caught him staring, opening one eye as he blocked the sun with the back of his hand.

“Do I have something on my face?” he tried to joke, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

“Sorry,” Eric spluttered, “you don’t. It’s quite the opposite actually.”

The younger could feel his cheeks turn pink as Sunwoo tilted his head in confusion, his eyes now both opened and the milkshake discarded on the ground next to him. Eric took a small breath in.

“You’re beautiful”, he admitted, softly biting down his lower lip.

Something seemed to click in Sunwoo’s mind as his face transformed completely. His smug expression was replaced by a rigid look, lips harshly shut together. Eric blinked.

“I really like your hair, Sun. I’m kinda sad that you would go on with this without telling me, but”-

“Argh, stop!” Sunwoo suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Eric who stared right back at him in confusion.

“Is it because you don’t like compliments? I know you don’t, but it doesn’t hurt to take one once in a while.” Eric tried to lighten the mood, laughing nervously.

Sunwoo seemed to calm down, leaning back onto his backpack a little bit, but he still looked on edge. “I don’t like compliments”, he mumbled, eyes closing again in an attempt to relax.

Eric smiled at the words. Of course he knew. Sunwoo had never let people compliment him, no matter the occasion. But still, Eric thought that Sunwoo deserved all the compliments in the world. He was too beautiful, too perfect to be ignored, and the younger wished he could remind his best friend of those facts every minute of his life. He judged Sunwoo’s expression again, mentally slapping himself as his stare stalled on the older’s plump lips, those same lips he’d seen appear in his dreams countless of times, in all kinds of delusional scenarios. A sudden urge to confess overcame Eric. It had been months, probably nearly a year since his best friend had started to appear into his dreams as more than just the companion to his silly and childish adventures with knights and dragons. Eric had come out as gay to Sunwoo first, out of all people in his life, a little under two years ago. The older had taken it well, even helping Eric share the news with everyone he cared deeply about. Eric had seen Sunwoo as an older brother figure for most of his life, he who only had an older sister, and that period of time had only strongly reinforced the feeling. That impression had slowly disappeared with time, and Eric had quickly understood what it was being replaced with: a crush, and a big one at that.

Eric hadn’t even realized he had started shaking until his cold milkshake cup hit his chin. He put the cup down next to Sunwoo’s and gulped nervously. There was no way he would be able to keep this in any longer. No matter the other’s reaction, he couldn’t keep his feelings a secret forever, as it was becoming more and more evident that they weren’t even close to magically disappearing like he’d hoped in the beginning.

“Sun” Eric called, voice a bit smaller than what he’d intended it to sound like. He cleared his throat and his gaze met Sunwoo’s, big brown eyes looking at him expectantly. Eric’s hands joined in the center of his crossed legs, fingers fiddling with each other – his nervous habit. Sunwoo sat up a bit.

“What is it?” the older asked, patting Eric’s knee in reassurance.

Eric felt like he could melt. Sunwoo’s warm touch sent shivers down his entire body, and halted his brain from functioning. He took a deep breath in, trying to regain control over his emotions.

“I don’t expect you to do anything about this, really,” he started, stuttering a bit. “I just thought you deserved to know.”

“Hey, what’s got you so anxious?” Sunwoo asked with a small laugh. Eric nibbled at his bottom lip. He could do this. Just one sentence. It didn’t even have to lead to anything, it just had to be said.

“I have a crush on you.” Eric stammered out. “Like, romantically”, he added, then cursing himself for his stupidity.

The revelation didn’t seem to sit well with Sunwoo. The older slowly retrieved his hand back from its place on Eric’s knee, and his face closed itself completely. Eric could feel his heartbeat accelerating, more and more concern gaining him as he noticed Sunwoo’s fists balling and his chest heaving as Sunwoo let out shaky breaths.

“I think you should leave”, Sunwoo spat out through gritted teeth, eyes shut closed.

Eric just blinked, staring at his best friend. Sunwoo wasn’t homophobic, right? He couldn’t be. He’d stayed by his side through everything, helped with his coming out in the best way he could have dreamed of, he had even stood up to a few bullies at school. Eric knew Sunwoo was straight anyway, so if he didn’t like him back, he didn’t have to make such a big deal out of it. Eric huffed at the thought.

“Yah, I didn’t say you had to like me back”, Eric retorted. “I just wanted you to understand my feelings. I’m not gonna jump you to kiss me or whatever you’re thinking.”

This was ridiculous. Sunwoo was acting like a big baby.

Suddenly, the red-haired boy stood up, firmly picking up his backpack from the ground. Eric was quick to jump on his feet, gripping Sunwoo by the shoulder.

“Wait! Sun...”, Eric pleaded. “Please, say something.”

Sunwoo turned to Eric. The younger almost took a step backwards. The older’s face was twisted with anger, his eyes had lost all that innocence and gentleness that Eric loved so much. Instead, he was looking at him with an expression of _disgust_. Eric couldn’t recognize him.

“I never asked to know about your feelings”, Sunwoo replied harshly.

Eric laughed out in disbelief, an incredulous look on his face. He crossed his arms on his chest. “So much about being a supportive best friend”, he shot back at the taller boy.

Sunwoo didn’t look like he was about to calm down. He eyed Eric from head to toe, taking in account his crossed arms and annoyed face. “Don’t speak to me right now” he hissed.

Sunwoo spun around with the clear intention of leaving, but Eric couldn’t let that happen. He grabbed the older by the arm, preventing him from moving.

“Look, it’s really not a big deal”, Eric said, “it’s just a crush. It will pass.”

“Don’t call it a crush!” Sunwoo exclaimed angrily, stomping his foot. _What a child!_ Eric thought, growing more annoyed by the seconds.

“You don’t get to decide how I label my feelings!” Eric argued back. “You know what, fuck you. You could have tried to be even a slight bit understanding, but no, you’re out here being the most selfish asshole”-

Eric didn’t even have the time to blink before Sunwoo’s first brutally collided with his jaw. The impact almost made him lose his balance, but Eric was able to catch himself before his butt hit the ground, instead crouching down to grip at his face with his hands. His entire body was shaking as he looked up at Sunwoo, still standing in front of him with his fists balled. Suddenly, his red hair didn’t mean beauty anymore, it meant _blood_ and _violence_ , and Eric wanted nothing more but for the color to disappear. Sunwoo’s eyes flashed with a ton of contradictory emotions. As the realization of his actions hit him, the older gripped the side of his backpack and ran away from the park. Eric watched through watery eyes as the person he was the closest too in the world ran away from him, his bright hair bouncing with every step he took.

Eric had no idea how much time had passed, but he hadn’t been able to move. His right hand had stayed cupping his face, while his left frantically tried to stop his silent tears from running down his face. He couldn’t even feel any emotions as he sat in the grass, eyes fixed on the two melted milkshakes – strawberry and chocolate – standing next to each other, the condensation dripping from the cups to the grass beneath them. Eric had no idea how long he’d been in the same position before he brought his shaking hand to his pocket to retrieve his phone, fumbling through it to press the only contact, other than Sunwoo’s, that he trusted enough to be there for him.

“What’s up Youngjae-ah?” Juyeon’s cheerful voice echoed through the phone, making Eric’s tears flow ten times harder.

He was unable to reply with words, instead letting his muffled sobs communicate his desperate state to his older friend. The panic was clear in Juyeon’s voice as he replied. “What’s wrong? Where are you?”

Eric sniffled as he felt his body shake harder. “T-the park”, he cried out, hiding his face in his arms.

Juyeon connected the dots quickly. There weren’t many parks around campus, and there was only one that was used mostly by teenagers, since it had a skatepark and the privacy of the trees surrounding it. “I’m on my way” Juyeon replied quickly. “I’m with Changmin, is that okay?”

Eric nodded, before he realized the other couldn’t see him. “Y-yeah”, he replied, his voice strained from all the crying.

“I’m gonna be driving but Changmin’s gonna hold the phone, alright? Don’t hang up, we’re almost there.”

The urgency in Juyeon’s voice didn’t help calm Eric down, but Changmin quickly took over as car engine sounds roared through the small speaker. Changmin’s voice was calmer as he repeated warm words to the younger boy, who sat in the grass, hugging his knees to his chest and trying his best to stop his tears from falling.

True to his words, Juyeon parked his car near Eric’s location only a few minutes later. Eric could hear the Lamborghini’s doors slamming shut, and Juyeon seemingly took his phone back from Changmin a few seconds later.

“We’re here, where are you?” the older asked urgently.

Eric breathed in as he tried his best to describe the place around him. Soon, he spotted his friends running up the hill towards him, and he let his phone fall to the ground as Juyeon kneeled in front of him. His eyes went wide at the sight of the purple bruise that had formed on the younger’s cheek.

“Youngjae-ah, who did this to you?” he asked, concern overflowing in his voice.

Changmin stayed standing up by their side, looking around as if he’d be able to find the culprit hiding behind a tree. Eric started to shake again as he whispered the name of his best friend. “S-Sunwoo.”

Juyeon and Changmin both halted their movements to stare at Eric in shock. It took the both of them a few seconds to break out of it, Juyeon leaning forward to gently hug the curled-up boy. “What happened?” he asked softly, as if to not startle the younger.

“I confessed.” Eric replied, hiding his face in his friend’s neck. He could breathe in the older’s familiar perfume, it was grounding him.

Juyeon was the only one who ever knew about Eric’s feelings for Sunwoo. As Eric couldn’t tell Sunwoo, for obvious reasons, he’d turned to his second most trusted confident, Juyeon, to lay out his secret and just _get the damn thing off of his chest_. Juyeon had always been fully comprehensive and helping Eric understand his feelings. Juyeon didn’t know what it meant to like someone while fully knowing it was technically impossible for that person to like him back, but he was a good listener and tried his very best to provide some advice to his younger friend.

Juyeon’s arms tightened gently around the smaller boy. With a hand, he calmingly rubbed circles on his back while whispering comforting words to his ear. Eric’s crying progressively turned quieter, until the only sign of it left were the faint jumps of his shoulders, which only Juyeon could perceive. Changmin had stayed back, watching the pair silently with worry written all over his face. The shock of Eric’s crush on his best friend still hadn’t left him, his eyes still wide opened from the surprise.

When Juyeon thought Eric was stable enough to leave the park, he turned around and placed Eric’s arms around his shoulders. With a great amount of effort, he held onto Eric’s thighs and lifted the both of them off the ground. Eric pressed his face against Juyeon’s back while the older carried him back to his car, Changmin right behind them with Eric’s backpack on his shoulder. Juyeon placed Eric on the backseat of his car, and Changmin slid next to him, immediately wrapping an arm around the younger’s body and pulling him to lean onto his shoulder. Juyeon took the driver’s seat and turned around with an arm on the backrest.

“Are your parents home?” Juyeon asked. Eric replied with a nod.

Juyeon sighed. He knew he couldn’t let Eric’s parents see him with his face looking like that, the massive purple bruise being a dead giveaway that something had went down. If you added Eric’s puffy eyes and tear-strained cheeks, there was no mistaking it as just a random accident. Juyeon turned back around and started the car, driving away from the park. He’d made the decision in a split second: he would be driving Changmin home, just like he always did after their dance practices, and then would take Eric home with him. His own parents would never even see the boy, as they lived in such a spacious house that Juyeon could easily sneak him in.

After bidding goodbye to Changmin, who took his bag out of the car with a last concerned look at Eric, Juyeon immediately drove home. He frequently stole glances at his friend through the rear-view mirror, relief washing over him at the sight of a sleeping Eric. If he was asleep, he wasn’t hurting, which couldn’t be a bad thing.

Once Juyeon pulled over and parked his car in his house’s alleyway, he opened the back door and softly shook the younger awake. Eric’s eyes fluttered open, confusion hitting him as he tried to peak at his surroundings.

“We’re at my house.” Juyeon kindly explained. “You said your parents were home, so... I thought you’d rather not have them see you like this.”

A tired smile tug at Eric’s lips. With Juyeon’s help, he stepped out of the car and grabbed his backpack. He toddled behind the older, following him all the way up to his large bedroom. Juyeon made sure Eric’s parents were aware their son was having a sleepover at his house before letting Eric fall asleep, tucked comfortably in his king-sized bed and dressed in way too large but still comfortable clothes, his blue hair spread out on the fluffy white pillow.


	2. part 2

The next day, Eric felt too broken to go to school. The mark on his face had only darkened since the previous evening, and the last thing Eric wanted was to garner attention or pity from his school mates. Juyeon drove him back home with a promise to be back to check on him after school was over. Not that Eric cared much in this instant, but he also told him he’d get Hyunjoon to update him on what he’d miss during their shared classes.

When Juyeon left Eric’s house, the younger dove under his blankets, shielding himself from the light. He’d discarded his phone on his bedside table, sick of the panicked feeling he’d get every time he’d receive a text message, or a missed phone call notification from one of his friends. Had Sunwoo told everyone already? The older, who was usually so secretive about his personal life, would he have told their friends his own version of the story before Eric could even process the events himself? He hoped it wasn’t Sunwoo who had told everyone, but he also doubted it could have been either Juyeon or Changmin. The two had been adamant about not telling anyone about what they knew, for Eric’s sake.

The week went by with Eric staying locked in his room and refusing to go to school. A few of his friends swung by every day, after having gotten permission from either Eric himself, or his mom, when they would show up unannounced at the door of the small house. They brought him his favourite food, talked to him, played music to try and cheer him up. In those moments where his room would fill with a handful of his dearest friends, Eric’s heart would suddenly not feel so heavy anymore. But he couldn’t help longing for the one person who he knew would never come, his most precious friend who, in situations like this, would normally insist on never leaving his side, sleeping on the floor next to the younger’s bed if he had to. Part of what kept Eric feeling miserable was that he couldn’t picture a life without Sunwoo by his side, he couldn’t picture happiness without the boy’s snarky comments, and mostly not without Sunwoo’s softer side he didn’t let many people witness.

If the purple mark on his face wasn’t enough of a constant reminder of their broken friendship, Sunwoo’s total disappearance from Eric’s life was the ultimate sign that things had now changed in an irreversible way. Eric had to be sneaky in his conversations with his friends to find out that Sunwoo hadn’t been to school either, and that the group was keeping close contact with him. Eric knew his friends too well: he’d finally gotten Chanhee to snap at him after asking about a million times if he knew how Sunwoo was doing, the older bluntly replying with a “Why do you think we’re never all here at the same time?”, clearly implying that they were taking turns visiting him and Sunwoo, after what he’d smacked his hands on his mouth and cursed at himself. Eric always knew how to get Chanhee’s facade to crack, the older was too sassy for his own good.

Through bribes of information, Eric also found out that Sunwoo wasn’t too keen on receiving his friends’ visits, or so he let everyone believe. Eric knew that if Sunwoo was feeling down, he was probably more than happy to get some moral support, but he would never step on his pride and let the others know that. According to Kevin, Sunwoo seemed to be deeply remorseful, and if he trusted Younghoon’s instincts, the amount of guilt he kept bottled up inside of him was what was stopping him from replying to Eric’s texts.

It was now Friday, and Eric had once again spent the day home, although it was only so he could catch up on all the work Hyunjoon had brought him over the week. His sadness had started to fade away slightly, much like the purple mark on his face that had taken a somewhat lighter shade. Eric often got distracted from his work when he caught his reflection in the mirror that was up on the wall. The patterns formed by the beaten-up flesh underneath his skin created something almost like a painting on his face, the mixture of purple, red and his light skin tone mimicking thick clouds of smoke. It hurt at the touch, but he could lay his eyes on it for long minutes before he’d start to feel mental pain again. At first, he refused to look at himself, deeply hurt by the memories brought back by the ugly bruise, but today, he stared at it with sorrow. If this was the last thing Sunwoo would ever give him, the last remaining piece of their broken friendship, Eric wanted to cherish it for as long as he could. It was just about to fade, but Eric wanted to hold on to the sight, even if the memories that came with it carried on a sad feeling.

Eric was pulled out of his trance by a soft knocking on his bedroom door. He wasn’t home alone today; his mom had decided to work from home in order to keep an eye on him.

“Yeah?” he asked, expecting his mother to enter the room. Instead, the opening door revealed three boys standing at its entrance: Sangyeon, Jacob and Juyeon, or The Mom Trio, as Eric had started calling them, seeing as they were the ones who took care of him the most. Looking back on it, seeing these three enter the room gave him a similar feeling as the one of seeing his mom come in with a plate of homemade cookies. Eric’s heart warmed at the thought and a smile slowly rose on his face.

“What’s up buddy?” Jacob asked softly, taking a spot on Eric’s bed.

Eric stood up from his wooden desk chair and let himself drop next to Jacob, laying his head on the older’s lap. Jacob’s hands immediately reached for the younger’s blue hair, brushing the dyed strands in a calming manner. Sangyeon and Juyeon carefully came closer, too, and sat down close to Eric. Sangyeon took an observing look at Eric’s face. “It looks like it’s almost gone.” he realized, patting Eric’s shoulder.

“It still hurts though.” Eric replied, and they all knew he meant that sentence in more than just the physical way. Jacob leaned down and kissed the top of Eric’s head.

“We know”, Jacob whispered, continuing to play with the younger’s hair.

“We brought you ice cream!” Juyeon smiled, dangling a brown paper bag in front of the blue haired boy’s face.

Eric sprung up, moving closer to Juyeon to take a peek inside of the bag. Sangyeon chuckled at his antics. “Looks like someone’s got energy”, he teased.

Eric grabbed an ice cream cone and turned to Sangyeon as he removed the wrapper. “I’m thinking of coming back to school on Monday. I caught up on everything I missed”, he pointed at his desk where books were piled up.

“That’s good”, Jacob smiled in relief. “We’ve all missed you.”

“Not all of you though”, Eric replied, sadness tainting his eyes, but he kept his smile on. They all knew who he was referring to, and Jacob felt a pang of guilt hit his chest. “Eric, I’m sorry”-

“It’s fine”, Eric quickly cut him. “Anyway, I would hope he misses me, too.”

The youngest’s words cut at the other boys’ hearts like knives. They all knew Sunwoo missed Eric, but not being able to comfort their youngest friend was paining them. They had all promised Sunwoo to stay out of their _friendship problems_ , like he’d called them. It was a difficult promise to keep. Most of them had slipped out at one moment or the other, but they were all doing their best to separately help their youngest friends without getting in the way of their issues.

The tension in the room broke when the door slowly squeaked opened. Eric almost dropped his ice cream when he caught sight of fiery red hair, adorning a familiar tall and boyish figure standing at the door.

“Did you... Did you mean that?” Sunwoo asked, eyes briefly meeting Eric’s before he quickly lowered his gaze, his bangs falling to cover them to the others’ sight.

Sangyeon, Jacob and Juyeon all exchanged worried looks, Sangyeon looking more on the panicked side, and Juyeon on the angry one. Eric stood still, mouth agape. Sensing an upcoming disaster, Jacob took the ice cream cone from Eric’s hands and put it away in the brown bag. Eric didn’t even fight back, eyes locked on the silhouette of his best friend that was uncomfortably standing in the obscurity of the house’s upstairs hallway.

“Is it okay if we go?” Sangyeon asked Eric prudently. “We’d be downstairs if you need anything.”

It took a few seconds for Eric to react, sending his older friends a simple nod. Sunwoo stepped aside, letting their three friends leave the room. Once they had completely disappeared, Sunwoo peaked his head through the doorway. “May I?” he asked.

Eric motioned for him to come over, moving up on the bed so that his back was resting against the bedpost, legs folded underneath his chin. Sunwoo carefully entered the room, closing the door but leaving a thin opening. He shook his shoulders nervously, standing in the middle of the room.

“Did you not tell your mom?” Sunwoo asked in a low voice. “She let me in like her long-lost child.”

Eric chuckled dryly. “You know you are like her own child. She hasn’t seen you in a full week and started to think something had happened to you. Ironic.”

A small smile tug at Sunwoo’s lips despite the slight bite in Eric’s words. “That did not answer my question.”

The younger sighed, looking down as he started fiddling with his fingers. “Of course I wouldn’t tell her,” he exhaled, “she likes you so much it would have broken her heart. As of now, she thinks I got bullied. Made it easier for me to skip school, too. Win-win.”

Sunwoo bit at his bottom lip, nodding. When he’d rung the bell, he had fully expected Eric’s mother to slap him across the face and slam the door right in front of him. Imagine his surprise when he had been taken into a hug, the small woman pulling him inside the house and patting him on the back. She had smiled warmly at him, giving him a “I’m so glad you’re here” that had made his toes curl from guilt, and had pushed him towards the stair with a “I hope just seeing you will be enough to bring my boy back”. Those words had hit him like a truck, reminding him of his place in Eric’s life and the way he had monumentally screwed that up. At the top of the stairs, he had needed a few seconds to regain his confidence before he could manage to face Eric.

“Sounds so much like you, that you’d be worried for her when you’re... you know.” Sunwoo said.

“Yeah”, Eric replied, examining Sunwoo’s facial expression. The other clearly seemed uncomfortable, so was he, but with them being on his own territory, Eric figured he could give Sunwoo a chance. He motioned at his desk chair. “You can sit down.”

It took a moment for Sunwoo to process the words, before he seated himself onto the small chair, turning it around so that he could face Eric. Sunwoo gulped, his best friend still wore his dyed hair, and with the ceiling light shining on it, Sunwoo had to (mentally) pinch himself to make sure that Eric was really there, in front of him. After Eric’s two years spent in America, this week had without a doubt been the longest time the two had ever gone without seeing each other.

“I’m sorry”. Sunwoo blurted out. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Eric, he didn’t want to see his disappointed or angry face. He was a coward, he had never learned how to give proper apologies, probably because Eric had always been so good to him, forgiving him for anything before Sunwoo could even think up a proper apology. This time, however, there was no escape – as good as Eric’s heart was, his actions had been a terrible mistake, a mistake of his doing and of his doing only, Eric had no reason to forgive him, really.

After a few seconds of silence, during which Sunwoo’s thoughts were running at a hundred miles per hour, Eric rolled his eyes and exaggeratedly cleared his throat. “Which is why you came here, I suppose”, he said, trying to help out Sunwoo. Sunwoo really didn’t deserve Eric.

“Ric, I’m sorry. I really am,” Sunwoo started again, searching for his words as he spoke. “I can’t even imagine how you must feel, looking at me right now. I know that I can’t even look at myself, I’m disgusted of my own body, of my face, of my own everything. I really don’t expect you to forgive me for what I did – for _hitting_ you”, Sunwoo lowered his voice at the word, “for the way I treated you when you were only being honest. I always promised to protect you, to make you safe, but I couldn’t protect you from myself.”

Eric’s breath itched, Sunwoo’s words making his blood turn cold. He felt his eyes start watering and he sniffled quietly, trying to fight his tears back as the emotions rushed into him.

“I figured you must... you must think I’m no better than any of those bullies I fought for you back then,” Sunwoo continued. “I realised that you must think I’m... that I’m _homophobic_ , because of what I did, and I can’t blame you for thinking that. I guessed it really made me look like one of those bastards, what I did. But I promise you, I am not. I haven’t been pretending for two years to be okay with you being gay, I _am_ okay with you being gay. And I’m so proud of you for being so open with that, and I’ll be forever grateful that you trusted me enough to tell me first.”

Sunwoo’s heart clenched in his chest as the memories flowed through his mind. Eric and him on the swings at the park, simply sitting and feeling the soft autumn breeze on their faces. Sunwoo had an earplug in one of his ears, a habit he’d always carried. But that day, Eric had asked him to remove it. He had something important to tell him. Sunwoo had complied, folding the wires and stuffing them into his pocket. Eric suddenly looked serious, something that didn’t happen very often, and the look on the younger’s face was all it took for Sunwoo’s mind to let go of everything and open itself to the revelation that came a few seconds later. The ease with which Eric had just admitted to everything, the nonchalance with which the words rolled off of his tongue, Sunwoo could never forget how baffling his confidence had been, like he’d just told Sunwoo his favourite cake flavour was chocolate, or another inoffensive fact about him. But no, Eric was already back to swinging, his hair getting caught up in the wind, his innocent smile back on. They’d had a serious talk later, though, once they were back at Sunwoo’s house, about Eric’s coming out, and the school bullies, and even his male celebrity crushes – Eric didn’t really have any, but it made Sunwoo at ease to hear Eric speak comfortably on the topic, it helped him normalize the fact that his best friend was attracted to the same gender, so the younger had randomly picked a few famous actors to rant about until he’d sensed that Sunwoo was starting to get a bit _too_ comfortable with it, his annoyance starting to show after the fourth celebrity. Eric had admitted to having made everything up a few weeks later and they’d had a great laugh about it. Sunwoo cherished those moments a lot, but the initial shock of the revelation was the most vivid memory of the event that clang to Sunwoo’s mind.

“So, uh, I guess I owe you an explanation. I know that words won’t fix what I’ve done, nothing will ever be able to.” Sunwoo bit at his tongue, searching for the right words to use while the stress clouded his mind. From his bed, Eric hugged his knees closer to his chest and discretely whipped a lone tear rolling down his cheek. “I never had a problem with you being gay, or with anyone being gay, actually. I never saw it as a bad thing, but I guess... that was until it came to me.” Eric’s head perked up in surprise. Sunwoo’s gaze was fixed on the wooden floor in front of him and he gulped nervously. “I am terrified. I never thought it could happen to me. I always liked girls, it felt so natural to me that I thought there was no way... I know I still like girls, I know I’m not just lying to myself about that, but I- I started seeing boys too, and I’ve never been more scared in my entire life. It’s like I’ve always had _control_ over stuff, and all of a sudden my body is reacting in ways I don’t want it to.”

Sunwoo couldn’t look Eric in the eyes. He knew that if he did, he would never get the courage to finish what he had to say. But as he felt the younger staring at him, he couldn’t help but look up, meeting the other’s watering eyes and his shocked expression. And suddenly, he couldn’t speak. The words clogged up his throat, leaving him looking at Eric with his mouth opened, looking as lost and fragile as Eric had ever seen him look.

“You know”, Eric spoke up after a long moment, “if that can help, you’re probably not gay. You’ve said yourself that you still like girls... that’s not a lie, right?”

Sunwoo couldn’t bring himself to reply with anything else other than a weak nod. Eric gave him a small smile, and Sunwoo could hit himself for how incredibly kind-hearted Eric was acting in a moment when he should be the one making him feel better.

“Well then, Sun, I don’t think you’re gay. If you like boys a _nd_ girls, that might make you bisexual.”

Sunwoo tilted his head in confusion. He had never explored the idea, too panicked over his feelings over boys – scratch that, over _one boy_ – to realize that he might not be gay. He didn’t know why, but the thought of being bisexual, the thought of _knowing_ who he was relieved an immense weight from his shoulders. Only, it had taken him hitting his best friend in order to find out. Right, he still had that situation left to fix.

“I panicked”, Sunwoo spoke up again after a while. Eric was looking at him in the most encouraging manner, giving him the extra confidence boost he needed to carry on with his words. “When you told me you liked me”, Eric winced at the other’s words, “I couldn’t bear the idea that... that it could work. You were my problem, Ric.” Sunwoo chuckled at himself, shaking his head. “If I started having these doubts about myself, it was because of you. And I started hating myself about starting to have these thoughts about you. And then”, he laughed, almost hysterically, “and then, you asked me to fucking dye your hair blue, and I knew that if I did it I would lose the last bit of control I had left over myself. I could picture it so well; me, playing with your hair, and then there would be no turning back. Fuck, I don’t care about one t-shirt being ruined, that was the worst excuse I could have come up with. But then you kept asking, and I gave in, and I really lost control. I don’t know if you’re aware”, Sunwoo didn’t care about what he was saying anymore, and well maybe he also hadn’t noticed he had just started crying and laughing at the same time, “but you look so fucking beautiful with that hair, not that you didn’t look good before, but I felt it in my heart when I saw you walk into school with that look. I’m so sorry I did what I did, you have no idea. Like I said, I don’t expect you to forgive me”-

“You’re such an idiot.” Eric was laughing in shock, interrupting Sunwoo’s speech. “I always told you that you should talk to me when something was bothering you, I can’t believe you kept this bottle up inside for what, 5 months now? When I started asking you to dye my hair, right?” Eric clapped loudly. “You’re the biggest idiot on this planet, Kim Sunwoo.”

“I’m sorry.” That was all Sunwoo could say as he looked at the floor, defeated.

“I know you are, silly.” Eric rolled his eyes to the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth time today. “And I’m sorry too.”

Sunwoo threw himself back on the backrest of the chair, crossing his arms on his chest. He raised a brow at Eric. “You’re not the one who has to be sorry.”

“But I am. Because if I had confessed earlier, maybe none of this would have happened.”

The two boys stared at each other for a while. A few seconds, a few minutes, none of them really took count. They simply took the time to stare at each other’s faces and, perhaps, throw a couple of admiring looks at the respectively red and blue hair atop of their heads. It was Eric who broke the moment, gesturing at Sunwoo to come sit next to him as he laid his legs down to be more comfortable. Sunwoo barely hesitated, climbing onto the mattress and letting his weight sink in next to Eric.

“I really like you, idiot.” Eric chuckled, whipping more tears that had fallen down without him noticing. The younger leaned his head on his best friend’s shoulder.

Sunwoo blinked. He felt as if he could barely breathe, feeling Eric so close to him after everything made his heartbeat quicken in a way which he wasn’t too sure was safe for his health. Without realizing, he brought his left hand up to his chest, feeling his heart beating through his palm. Eric had spotted the gesture and laughed quietly. “What does it say?” he asked teasingly, bringing his face closer to Sunwoo’s and watching in satisfaction as Sunwoo’s cheeks turned nearly as red as his hair. He noticed the older shortly breathing it. Sunwoo’s right hand softly came to cup at Eric’s bruised cheek. The older rubbed a thumb over the fading bruise, the guilt insufferable in every living part of his body.

“It says that you’re beautiful.” Sunwoo whispered, eyes locked with Eric’s. The younger was looking at him expectantly, a curious pout on his face. “That I’m sorry for everything I did to you.” Eric wanted to hit the older for apologizing again, but, thinking it would ruin the moment, opted to simply lean his face into Sunwoo’s touch. “And it says, really loud, that I like you too.”

The pair kept staring at each other, a wide smile forming on the blue haired boy’s face. Eric brought his right hand to place itself at the back of Sunwoo’s neck, gently pressing the older forward. He lowered his gaze to the older’s plump limps, their noses brushing together. Sunwoo’s breath hitched, making Eric giggle as he pressed their lips together. The red-haired boy reacted quickly, bringing his left hand to run through the blue hair, his right hand still delicately holding the other’s face. Eric brought his body closer to Sunwoo’s before they both had to pull back for air. Eric’s chest heaved up and down as he panted, forehead pressing against Sunwoo’s, their dyed bangs blending together and tickling their eyes. This time, Sunwoo leaned in for another kiss, eyes closed and slightly tugging at the blue hair. Eric melted in Sunwoo’s touch, his whole body on fire from the red-haired boy’s proximity. When they separated again, Eric put his head to Sunwoo’s chest, both boys breathing heavily.

Sunwoo’s right thumb was still running circles over the purple bruise. The older tilted Eric’s head to make their eyes meet again. “I’m sorry”, Sunwoo repeated, staring at Eric for the first time while he said those words. The younger pulled a face, suddenly pretending to be thinking.

“I will forgive you”, he said, “but at one condition.”

Sunwoo waited expectantly for Eric to continue. No matter what it was, he was ready to do anything to rebuild his relationship with the blue-haired boy again.

“Don’t hit me again when I tell you I like you”, Eric smirked, “because I’m going to be telling you that a lot.”

Sunwoo’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. Eric giggled happily, stealing a peck at Sunwoo’s flustered face.

Eric had almost forgotten about The Mom Trio’s promise to stay close in case he needed anything. In fact, he had completely forgotten about them; Sunwoo’s fault. He only remembered them as he grabbed his phone a few minutes later, phone having blown up with text notifications from his three older friends. He could only read each boy’s last text without having to open his phone, but he got the meaning pretty quickly.

Sangyeon: Is everything okay up there?

Jacob: Did something happen? We’re worried. I hope this radio silence of yours is a good sign. We’re still here if you need anything

Juyeon: Youngjae-ah, reply to this or we’re coming up!

His eyes widened at the last text. He urgently unlocked his phone in order to reply, but a knock on the door made him realise it was too late. Sunwoo and him sat straight up, staring at the door that burst opened with a guilty look on their faces. If their physical proximity wasn’t enough to be able to tell what had happened, their dishevelled hair summed up the story.

“Oh my god.”

What was Kevin doing there?

“Is this what I think”-

“It’s exactly that, Juyeon.” Sangyeon replied, a shocked expression on his face.

“W-we were just”- Eric stuttered, cheeks fully red, but he was quickly interrupted.

“Oh, don’t worry about us, we’re leaving!” Kevin sing-sang as he closed the door.

Eric and Sunwoo heard their footsteps and their excited chatter fade as the group climbed down the stairs and ultimately left the house. The two boys turned towards each other and burst in laughter. Sunwoo wished he could take a picture of Eric in this instant, looking happy, carefree, and Sunwoo’s heart couldn’t take any more. He grabbed the younger’s face in his hands and promptly kissed the other. He felt Eric’s smile on his lips and soon felt the other wrap his arms around him, breaking the kiss to throw himself at Sunwoo, making the older fall backwards, his back colliding with the firm mattress. Eric’s giggles and bright smile sent butterflies all over Sunwoo’s stomach. He hadn’t noticed, but he himself had started smiling, a smile dumb with admiration, that Eric quickly made disappear by pressing his lips against Sunwoo’s, his forehead brushing against the red-haired boy’s own. And when Sunwoo opened his eyes, all he could see was a mess of blue and red hair entangled together, a color scheme that Sunwoo would come to never again be able to associate with anything other than a feeling of blissful happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading! And pls support the boyz on road to kingdom!


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